I never really thought about this much until I saw this infographic today but annoying ringtones do seem to be on the decline. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I heard “I’m Too Sexy” blaring out in a crowded room or Bohemian Rhapsody making everyone in the bus instinctively start twitching their heads back and forth, Wayne’s World style.

But hey, I can’t talk. Up until a few years ago, I had Star Wars(Imperial March) and Star Trek:The Next Generation as my ringtones (yes, I am a sad geek). Whenever I was in the bus or in a crowded cafe, and Star Trek would start up on my phone, everyone would look at me with either amusement or pity (or both). Even last year, I was using the CTU ringtone from “24“.

Our infographic today takes a look at what has happened to ringtones over the past few years and how downloaded paid ringtones are on the decline. However, saying that, it still represents a multi-million dollar industry, making much more money than the top three music streaming services combined. So it is far from dead. But nevertheless, it is projected to be completely gone by 2016.

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Richard Kivinen

March 19, 2012 at 2:11 pm

why would pay for ringtones now, when there is so many apps and website that have free ringtones. I have the most uncommon ringtone: it a 56kb modem dial out tone so i know nobody will have the same tone.

this is charting the PAID for ringtones. i have never purchased a ringtone. not worth it to me. when the phones got advanced enough, i made my own ringtones from samples or sounds. since there are so many ways to easily make your own ringtones and install them, of course the paid services are going to wither away.

I have a different ring tone for each of my contacts (Rush, ZZTop, etc) as it lets me know who is calling without looking at the phone. If it doesn't know the person then it plays "Who are You?" by The Who.

I rely on custom ring tones to know which calls I have to answer and which I can ignore. If I hear "We Are Family," I know one of my five sisters its looking for me. If I hear "She Works Hard For The Money," I know it's just the boss and I can let it go to voice mail. ;) I'm not likely to give up my custom ringtones any time soon! (But I've also never spent money for a ringtone.)

Mark O'Neill is a freelance journalist and bibliophile, who has been getting stuff published since 1989. For 6 years, he was the Managing Editor of MakeUseOf. Now he writes, drinks too much tea, arm-wrestles with his dog, and writes some more. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.